Olusegun Obasanjo,the former Nigerian
president,is mobilising politicians and other
Nigerians to sign on to his Coalition for Nigeria project, to oust
President Muhammadu Buhari from office.
Many
of those consulted by Mr. Obasanjo are said to have signed on to his
elaborate plan for a mass movement away from the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), and his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), to “rescue” the country.
Mr. Obasanjo described the two parties as “wobbling” and unfit to run Nigeria.
On
Tuesday, the former president issued a scathing public commentary on
the Buhari administration, advising the president to take a “deserved
rest” and urging Nigerians to vote him out should Mr. Buhari insist on
running.
The Nigerian government on Wednesday responded to Mr. Obasanjo, outlining many achievements of the government.
But there is an untold story to the public rebuke.
Impeccable
sources told PREMIUM TIMES the former president repatedly discussed his
concerns with Mr. Buhari, and then decided to go public after he
noticed no improvement in the way the country is governed.
Frustrated
by the worsening political and security situation of the country, Mr.
Obasanjo spent the last few months consulting key political leaders in
the country.
He then used the better part of January drafting and
editing what is now the explosive “special press statement” that has
shaken the nation’s political foundation.
Signs that things were
amiss between Mr. Obasanjo and Mr. Buhari, a man the former endorsed for
the presidency in 2015, manifested early this month in far away Oxford,
United Kingdom.
Giving a talk at the University of Oxford, Mr.
Obasanjo commended some African leaders for their reforms and economic
transformation, but left out Mr. Buhari.
Asked from the
audience on when he would make his feelings about the Buhari government
public, Mr. Obasanjo said the time was not ripe.
However,
aides and associates of the former president said he had actually began
expressing his misgivings about the Buhari administration from late last
year, and shared his feelings with political associates and some elder
statesmen.
A number of those consulted, PREMIUM TIMES
gathered, consented to Mr. Obasanjo’s idea that it was time to intervene
in the political course of events.
Mr. Obasanjo has held
meetings with former Nigerian leaders, serving governors, lawmakers and
other key leaders across the country before arriving at the decision.
“At
the last count, seven governors, 20 senators and over 100 House of
Representatives members have agreed in principle with Baba to go into
this coalition,” a close associate of the former president told our
reporter.
The personalities have chosen to remain in the
shadows for now but have signaled their intention to move in to what is
envisioned to be a mega coalition at some time.
HOW THE STATEMENT WAS COMPOSED AND RELEASED
On his return to Nigeria from Oxford, Mr. Obasanjo commenced work in earnest on the press statement.
He shared a draft with a few close aides and some of his children to get their comments.
The
former president was said to have made final edits on the document on
the flight to and from Liberia for the inauguration of President George
Weah.
“Very early in the morning of Tuesday, Mr. Obasanjo
called a meeting of about eight of his close aides and associates to
finalise the document and what to do with it,” a source familiar with
what transpired that morning told PREMIUM TIMES.
Some of the
former president’s children were said to have cautioned him about his
personal security considering the tones of the letter.
“Baba
(Obasanjo) however told them that was the least of his concerns. He told
them that he considers himself to be living on extra-time and was ready
to pay whatever price for this country,” the source explained.
The
meeting then discussed the content of the statement and came to
agreement that time was ripe for the document to be released.
Mr.
Obasanjo then directed that the statement be released to the media by
email at 1pm, Tuesday. He also ordered for the final copy to be produced
into a booklet. Initial 1000 copies were then produced.
The octogenarian then picked up some copies of the booklets as he made for Ibadan later that morning.
PRISON TERM
Mr.
Obasanjo took a swipe at Mr. Buhari in the open letter, accusing the
president of ineptitude, clannishness and callousness in handling
affairs of the country.
He described another term of four years
for Mr. Buhari as “prison term” arguing that “Nigeria deserves and
urgently needs better than what they have given or what we know they are
capable of giving”.
“To ask them to give more will be
unrealistic and will only sentence Nigeria to a prison term of four
years if not destroy it beyond the possibility of an early recovery and
substantial growth. Einstein made it clear to us that doing the same
thing and expecting a different result is the height of folly.”
MR. OBASANJO’S VISION FOR THE MOVEMENT
In the widely reported press statement, Mr. Obasanjo spelled out his concept of the movement.
He
said it would provide Nigerians a window to determine their fate and
chart a new course for the country, away from the now dominant political
parties.
“This Coalition for Nigeria will be a Movement that
will drive Nigeria up and forward,” the former president said. “It must
have a pride of place for all Nigerians, particularly for our youth and
our women. It is a coalition of hope for all Nigerians for speedy,
quality and equal development, security, unity, prosperity and progress.
It is a coalition to banish poverty, insecurity and despair.
“Coalition
for Nigeria must be a Movement to break new ground in building a united
country, a socially-cohesive and moderately prosperous society with
equity, equality of opportunity, justice and a dynamic and progressive
economy that is self-reliant and takes active part in global division of
labour and international decision-making.”
A discreet plan
is said to be on afoot to constitute the leadership of the proposed
Coalition for Nigeria movement, with announcement expected sometimes
next week.